Life is a series of collisions with the future; it is not the sum of what we have been, but what we yearn to be.

Friday, October 4, 2013

20 Things Women Should Do Before Getting Hitched

Since
I am more or less 8 months away from the wedding date, found an
interesting article by the Huffington Post. Let's see what's my to-date
achievement now, shall we?

Here, 20 things every woman should try to do before tying
the knot.

Travel with your sister(s) and/or closest female
friends. Not saying you can't do this after you get married, but lots of ladies
agree there's something especially liberating, eye-opening, and bond-bolstering
about doing it beforehand.

Travel with your future spouse. "Everyone
can get along for a weekend, but see if you can stand each other for a whole
week, dealing with travel dilemmas, etc.!" my wise fellow newlywed friend
noted, and I couldn't agree more.

Suffer major heartbreak. As one woman put it,
"It not only made me a stronger individual coming out of it, but it also
showed me never to take love for granted."

Dump someone. Pleasant experience or not, it's
empowering to be the one who called the final shot in a relationship at one
time or another.

Get your finances in order. One of my close
friends made it a point to clean up her credit and make some serious sacrifices
so that her future husband wouldn't have to carry around the burden of
budgeting mistakes she had made while single. It's also not a shabby idea to do
it for your own peace of mind.

Talk about your finances with your future
spouse. Make sure you know where you stand on long and short-term goals and
spending vs. saving. Depending on how much either one of you is willing to bend
on certain things, money matters can be serious buzzkills for marital bliss --
or, at their worst, dealbreakers.

Live alone. Slash with roommates. But not with
Mom and Dad. Autonomy is awesome! Plus, as one recent bride put it, having
lived alone "makes you grateful for the things your spouse
contributes" once they're in the picture.

Live with your partner. Sure, if you're
old-school, you may not be a fan of this one, but it can definitely serve as a
"test drive" before buying the car.

Have a summer fling. Even if it doesn't last
past Labor Day, it's a fun memory to look back on -- and makes for a fun story
to reminisce about.

Learn how to cook. Not because you're getting
ready to be someone's June Cleaver, but because it's reassuring to know that
you can fend for yourself in the kitchen.

Splurge on yourself. Because you can -- and you
should!

Have at least one big blowout fight with your
future spouse. Then make up. It's good to know you can get through it.

Date around. Serial monogamists often feel like
they missed out on the experiences of going on both good and really
bad/hilarious/cringe-worthy dates.

Face one of your biggest fears. Be it skydiving,
public speaking, or dining in public alone.

Try having a friend with benefits. If only to
make sure that friend you always had a crush on doesn't somehow become
"the one who got away."

Focus on your education. Not that you can't do
this once you're married, but you may want to spend pre-martial time on getting
one -- or several! -- degrees.

Get started on making your career dreams come
true. Same as #16.

Decide how you feel about kids. Kind of like
money, a majorly important thing to reflect on/discuss before getting hitched.